Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Okay, so I realize that I am certainly not the one to originate the idea of doing one of these things(I think Quint at AICN may have inspired me), but I've done a list the past few years so I thought I'd throw together some recommendations for you movie fanatics or those that have a fanatic in their life to shop for. What follows is a list of some of my favorite DVD and Blu-ray releases from this year as well as a few other trinkets like books, shirts and so forth that might also please your cinephile. Hopefully this list serves some use to someone!P.S. here are my lists from the last two years if you want to peek at them as well:http://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/11/ruperts-blu-raydvd-holiday-gift-guide.htmlhttp://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2012/11/ruperts-2012-holiday-buying-guide-for.htmlWhere to even start? This year has been a lovely one for Blu-ray and DVD releases across the board. All the usual players stepped up and gave us some stellar films(which were often debuting on their respective formats). I'll start with the kids of releases I saw the most of and work my way down.WARNER ARCHIVE:http://shop.warnerarchive.com WAC threw their hat into the Blu-ray ring late last year and have only had a few Blus so far in 2013 but a couple are absolutely worth picking up (both from the 1990s coincidentally):

THE HUDSUCKER PROXY (1994; Joel & Ethan Coen)

FEARLESS (1993: Peter Weir)

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD - The Complete First Season

As for their DVD releases, WAC had a heckuva great year, putting out several great sets and many wonderful standalone DVDs as well. A few recommends:

FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD Volume 7

WHEELER AND WOOLSEY - RKO Comedy Classics Collection

VIVACIOUS LADY (1938; George Stevens)

THE NUISANCE (1933; Jack Conway)

THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944; Jean Negulesco)

LOVE ON A BET (1936; Leigh Jason)

THE MERRY WIDOW (1934; Ernst Lubitsch)

DEATH IN SMALL DOSES (1957; Joseph M. Newman)

HEY GOOD LOOKIN'(1982; Ralph Bakshi)

HARRY O: The Complete Second Season

WAC also continued their streak of releasing some fantastic old Hanna-Barbera cartoons from the 1970s and 80s:

SPACE STARS - The Complete Series

CAPTAIN CAVEMAN AND THE TEEN ANGELS - The Complete Series

HELP! IT'S THE HAIR BEAR BUNCH! - The Complete Series

THE COMPLETELY MENTAL MISADVENTURES OF ED GRIMLEY- The Complete Series

Also here are a few bits of clunky fun that I personally enjoy:

THE BEASTS ARE ON THE STREETS (1978; Peter R. Hunt)

HELLO DOWN THERE (1969; Jack Arnold)

There are obviously other Studios doing their own MOD releases, so here are a few other discs from those services that I recommend:

FOX ARCHIVES:

ME AND MY GAL (1932; Raoul Walsh)

SONY CLASSICS:

KNOCK ON ANY DOOR (1949; Nicholas Ray)

A few Film Classics collections from TCM (these both feature the DVD debut of at least a few films):

John Ford: The Columbia Films Collection

Frank Capra: The Early Collection

Karloff: The Criminal Kind

Warner Home Video also put out several long awaited catlog titles on Blu-ray this year:

THE RIGHT STUFF (1983; Philip Kaufman)

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955; Nicholas Ray)

THE HAUNTING (1963; Robert Wise)

THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946; William Wyler)

DISNEY brought out some nice Miyazaki on Blu-ray this year:

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988; Hayao Miyazaki)

NAUSICAA AND THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (1984; Hayao Miyazaki)

HOWL'S MOVIE CASTLE (2004; Hayao Miyazaki)

Criterion put out a ton of great stuff this year as they always do. One I'd like to highloght though is one of my favorite old ghost story movies that never had a dvd (let along Blu-ray) release in the U.S. before this:

THE UNINVITED (1944; Lewis Allen)

TWILIGHT TIME:

TWILIGHT TIME is a boutique label whose output is great and on the rise in a big way in 2014. Here are some of my favorite Blu-ray releases from them this year:

THE DRIVER (1978; Walter Hill)

HARD TIMES (1975; Walter Hill)

THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN (1970; George Stevens)

LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945; John M. Stahl)

SCREAM FACTORY:

Scream Factory absolutely killed it this year with their releases. I can't list all them, but I'll give you some highlights. They have more great stuff coming in 2014 too!

POLICE ACADEMY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION--------------SHIRTS:Film geeks need to wear their loves and influences literally on their sleeves. I've always felt that t-shirts can be disarming and help nerds connect with other nerds in a very simple way. "Hey that person is wearing a shirt for a movie I love, therefore, I have something to talk to them about."Many of the sites listed below are UK based and I've only come across them this year, but I am so pleased I did. In some cases below, I have done a whole blog post about them so check those out for further details:

Celebrity Machines License Plates is a nice place for movie fans to find some fun, unique gifts. They exclusively do reproductions of license plates from movies. Want an "OUTATIME" or "ECTO-1" plate? This is the place(and they have so many others!):http://www.celebritymachines.com/

BOOKS:There are always tons of good film-related books that come out in any given year. Here are a few that I think might make lovely gifts for the right movie lover:

GUIDE FOR THE FILM FANATIC By Danny PearyDespite being published in 1986, this book is still the best guide for young cinephiles to help get them on the track of watching great films. The book can be acquired very cheaply on Amazon even though it has been out of print for some time. It is my favorite book of all time and so it is no surprise I am actually making a documentary about Peary's books and their impact. (See interview clips here: http://www.youtube.com/user/dannypearydoc?feature=watch)

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This site is all about keeping older films in the public consciousness via lists and short reviews. I am the maker of lists and the curator of countless others from a great group of regular contributors. Check back regularly!
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